From bus drivers to bartenders and ballet dancers, many Cubans are already imagining a more prosperous future after the United States said it will put an end to 50 years of conflict with the communist-run island.

News of the historic shift echoed quickly through the Spanish colonial plazas of Old Havana, where strains of trova and son rose from outdoor cafes, Cuban music that is a siren song for foreign tourists.

From the plaza outside Havana's 18th century cathedral, Daniel Guillen, 53, makes a living directing tourists to a nearby cafe, and he knows a flood of U.S. tourists would pump money into the area.